With extra accommodation now near the top, if not the pinnacle, of the property shopping list for many house hunters, the expected feature to tick that box might be a converted loft, a garden cabin or a transformed garage - or at least the potential to update or add one of these.
But most homes cannot boast a substantial two-storey coach house at the bottom of the garden, but this beautiful period house in the posh suburb of Llandaff, Cardiff is not most houses.
Not everyone who lives in the capital realises that the city is peppered with cute coach houses, hidden most commonly on the lanes that meander through the older areas such as Cathays and Roath. Many of these surviving buildings are small and seemingly randomly located at the end or side of the lane.
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The little Cardiff coach houses have, over the years, been the base for local businesses, used as commercial workshops, as the distant memory of coaches and horses trundling down the capital's streets faded away. Some remained empty and abandoned, their potential not seen or realised.
But the more substantial of these cute buildings have been converted into unique and charming little houses by developers and renovators with vision, creativity and patience. See the amazing conversion of a Cathays coach house here.
Move out from the centre of the city and the gardens get bigger and so do most of the surviving coach houses, and many are now located in private gardens. But not many of these can match this characterful example nestled within the rear garden of this substantial home.
Annoyingly, if you become the new owner of this £2m house on Palace Road, Llandaff and would like to understandably brag about your big coach house, it looks like the neighbours still have their coach house and have renovated it too. So, apart from the neighbours, it's likely you could brag to have one of the few remaining large garden coach houses in the area.
Inside the coach house, it's a classy conversion that has created an open-plan lounge, kitchen and diner on the ground floor and a bedroom currently used as a home office, bathroom and open space currently used as a gym on the first floor.
This bonus building was once derelict but during its full renovation has been given the same standard of fixtures, fittings and decor as the main house, from the designer kitchen by Neptune to the Topstak log burner and stove. It has its own smoke and CO2 detectors and intruder alarm, and has full wall insulation.
The coach house can easily share in the enjoyment of the immaculate landscaped garden designed by RHS gold winner Darren Hawkes, as the coach doors are permanently open and the doorway filled with glass doors providing direct access outside as well as stunning views from the inside.
Surely most people would be very pleased to call this coach house their main home, but there is an adjacent beast of a building, covering over 5,400 square feet over three sprawling storeys of space, to explore. The house has so many options for places to socialise, find some peace and quiet, and sleep that your head will spin.
There's a sophisticated and comfortable lounge at the front, bursting with light and space thanks to the generous bay window. The room even has enough space to welcome and comfortably house a piano.
Through the glass connecting doors, or via the entrance hall, gets you into the formal dining room and the elegant and tasteful interior design established immediately in the front room flows into this beautiful space.
It's spacious enough for 10 people to sit and eat but has an intimate atmosphere thanks to the log burner in the fireplace and the duet of statement lights visually bringing the ceiling height down, as well as bringing extra style to the central dining space.
There's a window at the end of the dining room that you might expect to look out onto the garden but this one is a window looking into the added den, a perfect spot for children of all ages to crash and watch the match, play music or generally hang out.
And if they get too noisy, there are French doors from this den room out to the garden, so throw them open and hope that at least some of the sound goes outside.
This house is so huge it has three hallways, the entrance hall that then leads into an inner hall where the stairs can be found, and a rear hallway leading to the den, cloakroom, laundry room and then the stunning kitchen.
This hub of the home is a joy to the eyes, a fully equipped and very spacious kitchen by Plain English Kitchens in a fresh shade of heritage blue. There's an island unit as well as a dining area in this first section of a duo of delicious spaces.
The kitchen that cooks will already have fallen in love with, flows into an added garden orangery that is a super sunny spot to relax after a meal with family and friends, for a morning coffee accompanied by bird song, or star-gazing through the glass roof.
The French doors at the end of the orangery, combined with multiple windows and surely the biggest glass roof on the street, ensures this room swims in light, garden views and ever-changing cloud formations and weather systems - all enjoyed from the comfort of squishy sofas and armchairs that hug.
Up to the first floor and there are three bedrooms, two of which are ensuite. But the choice for the master is a tricky one - at the front the bedroom has a box bay window with charming stained glass sections, a fireplace, built-in closets and an ensuite.
Or is the master bedroom at the rear, above the kitchen, that can boast a larger ensuite, a characterful vaulted double-height ceiling and views out over the garden from four windows? Nice puzzle to have to solve.
There's an extra bedroom and family bathroom on this floor before stairs get you to the top floor and a further bathroom plus two extra bedrooms, both of which are blessed with the features of being within a converted roof space.
The rear bedroom, as well as garden views, has a lower ceiling that makes the space feel cocooning and calming. The bedroom at the front has the opposite - a ceiling that flies high into the roof and an added mezzanine level that makes good use of this extra head and ceiling height.
Practically, the top of the house has a handy storage room off the landing that runs along the loft of the rear wing of the house, and back down to earth the house can happily accommodate seven cars - which is lucky because with such a beautiful and big, sociable and stylish home waiting to greet guests, you'll be getting a lot of them coming to visit very often.
This Palace Road palatial palace is for sale with a guide price of £2m with estate agent Jeffrey Ross, call the Pontcanna office on 029 2049 9680 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter , sent to your inbox twice a week.
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